Introduction

The makeup of man by God causes man to want to commune with God. Genesis 1:26. However, at the fall of man in Genesis, this connection or desire to commune with God was blocked by man’s disobedience to the original instructions God gave to man. Genesis 2:16-17. Man realized his error and hid from God. Genesis 3:7-13. This began man’s way of trying to establish a way back to God or in simple terms the establishment of religion. Religion means to perform special acts or rituals to gratify or indulge an entity higher than themselves or others.

Some form of communicating with God is performed by all religions in the world. Because man understands that there is an absolute power stronger and higher (God) then himself as a human being. So to connect with this higher power, man enters into some form of communication by chanting, humming, shouting, meditation or prayer.  These acts of communicating with God takes on various forms, such as, to point towards the sun, point towards the east, bow at certain times during day, physical bodily abuse as a sacrificial way to earn God’s attention, all religions call for their followers to perform some activity as a form of communicating with God.

Throughout the ages man has looked and developed so many ways to commune with God, but it was not for man to decide it was for God to decide. God established the way for man by way of having a relationship with Him not a religion.  A relationship that communicates with God through fellowship and obedience by man.  As you read in Genesis 3:7-24, God came looking for man, because of their established relationship Genesis 2:19.  But now man had decided how he could recapture the relationship with God through his covering himself with the things of this world which established religion and blocked out the relationship. Man always does what seems right in his own eyes, which was trying to hid from God, being out of the sight of God. However, by God’s love for man Psalms 8:1-9 , man received the grace of God’s covering necessary for the relationship to continue.

God has ordained prayer for His people in so many of the scriptures to assure man that He has a desire to have a relationship not a religion.  Deuteronomy 6:1-9 ,   II Chronicles 7:14

Our prayers follow the authority given by God to man to have dominion in the earth, therefore our payers are  an invitation to God, the granting of permission for God tp participate in our circumstances. That His will be done in earth as it is done in heaven. Matthew 6:10.  

A. Memorize Mathew 7:7-12

B. Write in the answers to the following questions in your own words:

1. How do I obtain help for my daily necessities? Hebrews 4:16.

2. What is God’s gift to me that  gives  me  the  confidence  that  He will  take  full responsibility for  me? Romans 8:32.          _

3. What is one reason why prayer is answered? John 14:13    _

4.Why does God give the opportunity of asking and obtaining from Him?        

5. What is Jesus Christ, according to this verse? I Timothy 2:5

 6. What must I do to obtain things from God? John 16:24; James 4:2
 
7. Write out John 16:24 from memory. _

8. For what should I pray?

·      Matthew 6:11,  

·      I Timothy 2:1,2 ,

·      Matthew 9:38 ,

·      James 1:5 

9. Why are my prayers sometimes not answered? Psalms 66:18; James 4:3

10. How am I to pray to get answers to my prayers? I John 5:14, 15
 
11. What should be my response when I feel that I am praying according to God's will and yet my prayers seem to be unanswered? 

Hebrews 10:35,36

12.    What characterized the life of Christ? Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35

 13.    What am I to express to God when I pray? Philippians 4:6         -----

14.    What is the most important truth you have learned from this lesson?

 C. Write questions or comments about any area of interest you would like to discuss.